BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard Team Shrinks to Under 100 After Layoffs

BioWare, the renowned game developer, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to fewer than 100 employees following a recent round of layoffs and staff departures after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Bloomberg reported that just two years ago, when Dragon Age: The Veilguard was in full production, BioWare had over 200 employees.

Last week, EA restructured BioWare to focus exclusively on the development of the next Mass Effect game, Mass Effect 5. This shift led to some staff members who worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard being reassigned to projects at other EA studios. Notably, John Epler, the creative director of Veilguard, was moved to work on Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate, while senior writer Sheryl Chee transitioned to work on Iron Man at Motive Studio.

The decision to restructure came after EA announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed, engaging only 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter, nearly 50% below the company's projections. Bloomberg clarified that these staff reassignments to other studios are now permanent, meaning those moved are no longer considered BioWare employees.

In the wake of these changes, several BioWare developers took to social media to announce their layoffs and job searches. Notable among them were editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm. This follows another round of layoffs at BioWare in 2023 and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

When IGN sought detailed information from EA regarding the number of affected individuals, potential layoffs, and remaining staff at BioWare, the response was non-committal. EA stated, "The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio has the right number of people in the right roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of development."

Bloomberg reported that approximately two dozen BioWare employees were affected by the layoffs. Jason Schreier, the author of the report, noted that BioWare staff considered it a "miracle" that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given the challenges of integrating and then removing live-service elements as mandated by EA. IGN has previously documented the development struggles of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including layoffs and the departure of several project leads.

Amid fears about the future of the Dragon Age series, a former BioWare writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."

As for the future of the Mass Effect franchise, EA confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare, led by veterans from the original trilogy such as Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, is currently developing the next installment, Mass Effect 5.